From Restoration Church member Alex B.

Jesús Cristo. Jezi Kris la. Jésus-Christ. Jesus Christus. Jesus Christ. No matter the language, the country, the people, He remains the same.

Draw near, O nations, to hear, and give attention, O peoples! Let the earth hear, and all that fills it; the world, and all that comes from it. Isaiah 34:1

About a month ago, I went to the Dominican Republic and Haiti with Restoration Church on my first mission trip of hopefully many. Leading up to our day of departure, I worried about having everything I needed, wondered if I would freeze when called upon to pray or share the Gospel, whether I would be miserable leaving my comfort zone or if I would let down my team. I doubted.

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.“ Matthew 16: 24-25

Lisa Chan, wife of Pastor Francis Chan, spoke on this verse and explained we do not follow God’s will by our own power, but rather by relinquishing our lives to His power and simply following what He has called us to do. He will provide the strength and means to accomplish His will because our God is a sovereign almighty God. I never have to worry because He is always in control.

When I began working to let go and submit everything to God’s will, that’s when He gave me the boldness and peace to proclaim the Gospel joyfully and fearlessly. God worked for His glory; and not just that the Haitian people would see the beauty of His grace, but that I could see that His work knew no bounds…

Or language barriers. Throughout the week, I saw the Gospel shared in Haitian Creole, Spanish, English, French and German. The Holy Spirit works through every language and heart, by the triune God’s power, not by man’s. God’s Word is a global message, meant for all people of the earth. God’s people are not how man sees them by color, ethnicity or language. God’s people are all those who bear the image of the one true God and proclaim His Son, Jesus Christ, as Savior.

But that’s not to forget the significance of the local church.

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.“ Hebrews 10:24-25

On the last day, the team evangelized in a Dominican town, Esperanza, with a local pastor.  We talked with people about the saving grace of Christ in the middle of their daily work. While most people believed in the existence of God, not all knew their need for Christ.  After talking with one woman about Christ, we were able to direct her to the local pastor and his church where she could continue to go with questions or in need of encouragement after the team left.

Compare this to the time of evangelism in Phaeton, Haiti, where there is not a healthy local church to direct people to.  The time there was spent encouraging people who had previously come to faith with Noah in the months before. The only time these people received encouragement and instruction in the Lord was when Noah, with or without a team, visited. Without a local church, the people were not consistently pushed forward to growth in the Lord and were left without a pastor’s instruction.

Sending a team to Haiti for a week won’t have the greatest, life changing impact on the people we meet.  It will introduce people to the Gospel and encourage the people, the local pastors and the long term missionaries in the Lord.  But it will also reveal the unrestricted nature of God’s glory and power to the visiting team.  God knows no limits and works all things according to His sovereign will.

“Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; His understanding is beyond measure.” Psalm 147:5